So we finally got the Galaxy Nexus (previously known as the Nexus Prime). I got home from a 2-3am bike ride earlier today and sat down to watch the stream of the launch event, and at first I wasn’t really that impressed. However, I’ve taken a closer look at the GalNex (which is how I like to refer to it), and it’s grown on me. A lot. 

Screen

I want to address this first, because I think that it’s the most impressive feature of the device. The GalNex features a 4.65 inch Super AMOLED display touting a resolution of 1280x720. Yes, that is a 720p display on a phone. I’ve been impressed with both Apple’s Retina Display as well as HTC’s qHD displays, but this takes things to a whole new level. You’ll be able to fit so much on that screen; this makes it ideal for browsing the web and reading large amounts of text. Samsung’s Super AMOLED technology will also ensure that the screen looks utterly amazing, which it does. 

Camera

Although the phone ‘only’ features a 5-megapixel camera, it records video in full 1080p HD with continuous autofocus, and has some nice effects built-in, such as the panorama mode that merely requires you to sweep your phone from one side of your shot to the other. The software will then automatically create you a nice panorama. Looking at the image samples online, I can see that the camera quality is very good, and probably on a par with that of the 8-megapixel cameras found on most recent HTC devices. It really shows that the number of megapixels really doesn’t matter. 

Ice Cream Sandwich

Android version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) will ship with the Galaxy Nexus. It features a total UI overhaul, and the only word I can use to describe the new UI is stunning. Everything takes a whole new ‘glass’ look, and the blue accents around the whole OS give it a very ‘Tron’ like appearance. Check out this video for a runthrough of the new OS. ICS also supports dual-core processors fully, which makes the GalNex a damn fast device, with its dual-core 1.2Ghz processor and 1GB of RAM. 

Samsung

I hate to burst my own bubble, but the only real thing that puts me off this device (other than the potential SIM-free prices, which are likely to be over £500) is the fact that it’s a Samsung phone. I have a minor vendetta against Samsung, and because of this there’s a small part of me that wants to completely avoid this phone. However, it is Google-branded; also, to be fair to Samsung they have packed in some formidable hardware. Samsung have only manufactured the device, and designed the hardware, so you are getting a Google phone with the Galaxy Nexus, and not a Samsung device. Samsung also don’t have the rock-solid build quality of HTC, and I suppose they never will, but I think this is something I could deal with. 

Verdict

Am I getting the Galaxy Nexus? Truthfully, I don’t know for sure yet, but it’s more than likely. As with every phone, I need to get my hands on one and find out what it’s like to live with before going out and purchasing one (I’ll need to purchase SIM-free and sell my current device, as my contract isn’t up for a very long time). I’m also getting fed up of HTC being unfaithful with software updates; where’s the 2.3.4 update for the Incredible S, guys? I believe that it’s the best smartphone in terms of raw specifications, and it will (like every Nexus device) get the latest Android software updates long before any other phone. Previously, this hadn’t bothered me, but now that I’ve been stuck using non-rooted devices and delayed software updates for the past two years or so, I think I want a change. 

Look out for my continued coverage on the Galaxy Nexus, and feel free to leave comments to help me decide. 

I was recently talking to someone about our favourite smartphone design. That’s purely based on the look and feel of the device, and completely disregarding the OS it’s running. I came up with a top three, which I thought I’d share:

3. HTC Magic

I rant and rave about this phone a lot. I always thought it felt great in the hand, and the finish and colour looked great. It also featured a trackball, something that complimented the slightly smaller 3.2” screen rather well (particularly when it came to text editing). The compact size also made the Magic really pocketable. 

2. Apple iPhone 3G/3GS

As Engadget never cease to remind us, you can’t ignore the iPhone. The 3G and 3GS’s curved back was a pleasure to hold and, in my opinion, miles better than the iPhone 4’s unergonomic form factor. The chrome bezel also added a nice touch of class to the iPhone’s design, and the 3.5” screen size was the perfect size at the time of its release. 

1. Blackberry Bold 9000

Yep, I still reckon the original Bold 9000’s industrial design was and is terrific. At the time it felt like a huge device; there was a certain heft to it that made it feel like a hugely powerful piece of kit. It had a huge keyboard which made typing a breeze, and featured Blackberry’s signature trackball. The Bold 9000 had a leather back, which took it leaps and bounds ahead of anything else when it came to the feel of the product. For this reason, I’m happy to say that the Bold 9000 is my favourite phone design of the past decade, and that’s why I’m excited about the Bold 9900, as it seems to follow some of the design cues of the original 9000. 

Oh, here we go again. My ADD has kicked in, and I’m getting bored of my phone. I was planning to switch this summer to another HTC device, but I’ve recently had thoughts: I need a phone. 

I used to use a Blackberry 8900, which was my first smartphone, and I loved it for the most part. Sure, there were issues with it, like lack of internal memory and a relatively slow processor, but it was just right for what I needed it for. I only really switched to Android out of frustration; with hindsight, I probably should have stayed with Blackberry and starting using Android on a tablet. 

Primarily, I use my phone as a phone. That means I need it to text, call people, and email. Stuff like gaming, social networking, etc doesn’t really take priority. I also have a lot of friends who live abroad who I used to converse with via Blackberry Messenger, but now I’m finding that I talk to them less, as I have to typically Facebook message or email them. The plethora of features that is present in Android is starting to annoy me, as I simply don’t and won’t utilise Android’s full potential. 

Usually, if there’s a feature of our smartphone that we don’t like, we use it less. My HTC is a decent means of communication, but I talk on the phone and text far less, because it simply doesn’t do it as well as my Blackberry did. For me, my phone is a tool, and it just needs to do its job. I don’t need it to be a pocket computer; most of the things I use mobile internet browsing for is looking up shit, and browsing news headlines. Anything serious that requires a browser can wait until I’m at my computer. 

There are a few Blackberry Bold 9780s floating around on the Internet for around £300 - £350 SIM-free, and I’m considering simply keeping my contract running and adding a £5 per month BIS service to use with a Blackberry; in the long-run, it will be cheaper than terminating my contract early and picking up a (more expensive) HTC Incredible S. Sure, I’ll keep my HTC Legend and may even get a cheap SIM for it as I’ll still be using Android for my reviews and the like, but as an actual phone, nothing even comes close to a decent Blackberry. 

Feel free to leave me your thoughts below.